The Church of Sarti

Sarti (or new Afisia), besides its natural beauty, has also got its jewel, its Holy Church, the port of its sons and daughters that have gone through many hardships. This church was built by the displaced refugees who came here, the Afisiani.

They built their church with hard work and toil in order to ornament it with the sacred relics they had brought from their unforgettable homeland. The church was dedicated to the Mother of Christians, to the Leader, to the Joy of Distressed, to Lady Mary! The new church stands in commemoration of the Parish of the Assumption that existed in the old homeland, but, at the same time, to give honors and thanks to Her who protected them from the mania of the other religions, to Her who led them to this blessed land, to Her who, until today, has guarded them against any disaster.

Thousands of believers have knelt at Her shrine not only to make a request but also to thank Her. At the Holy Water ceremony that takes place in front of Her wonder-working Icon, many people come, from the ends of the world, to worship and receive blessings in Her Holy Festival every year on 15 August (the Easter of the summer).

This is repeated in the Return Celebration of Virgin Mary, commonly known as the Novena of Our Lady, on August 23. The church is decorated with flags and is dressed in white to honor “the undying Virgin Mary to Whose intercession and protection we lay our immutable hope”; and She, on Her Throne, as if smiling, has been waiting for everyone to give what they wish for.